Maria Zisi and Bailey Edmondson Williams are risking everything when they decide to serve the dreaded “dish of death” on MKR Australia. Will it mean curtains for these cooks?

Fingers crossed judges Manu Feildel (left) and Colin Fassnidge like it.
This week, the six remaining teams must create a main or dessert to fit one of three themes – family favourites, date night or plant-based.

Adelaide “boss friends” Maria, 30, and Bailey, 28, dive into date night, but their choice of dish – a prawn risotto – sends shock waves through Kitchen Headquarters. Risotto is considered a cursed dish on MKR and other cooking shows, like MasterChef, because of the very precise timing needed to get the bite of the rice just right. Even last year’s eventual winners, Italian besties Simone Prest and Viviana Barile, had an epic risotto fail.

“Risotto is the death dish,” concedes Bailey.

But Greek-born baker Maria insists they knew the dish would be hard to get right before they started out.

“It can be chalky and overcooked, and it can turn to porridge,” she says.

“But it was important to show everybody we can cook and take big risks.”

Will their risotto buck the trend and keep them safe from elimination?

The challenge sees Maria and Bailey go up against Gold Coast couple Michael Edelberg, 30, and Rielli Portegys, 29. Although Michael has polarised the other contestants and viewers, Maria and Bailey are fans of the self-proclaimed “Meat Master”.
Maria dishes on Mark (left) and Tan.

Fslling for their teammates

Tells former ballet dancer Bailey, “He’s outspoken and blunt, but Maria and I are also very blunt individuals, so we ended up falling in love with Michael and Rielli. We looked after each other.”

But there was a contestant they clashed with.

“I did not get along with Mark,” Maria seethes.

“I would go for a drink with [his teammate] Tan, but Mark? No! I wouldn’t be upset if I never saw him again!”

Baking business dreams

If Maria and Bailey win the competition, she plans to use her share of the prize to open a physical store for her Blondie’s Bakehouse biscuit business, which specialises in red velvet cookies and lemon meringue. Somehow, we don’t think Mark will get an invite to the opening!